Roman God Mercury & Planet Mercury - Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
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linkys
N 49° 47.393 E 009° 55.070
32U E 566064 N 5515673
Statue of Mercury in the Mainfränkisches Museum at the Fortress Marienberg.
Waymark Code: WMHKYN
Location: Bayern, Germany
Date Posted: 07/21/2013
Views: 7
Statue
A sign by the statue tells us this statue of Mercury is by Ferdinand Tietz and Workshop, 1765 - 1768. It was originally at the Great Lake in Veitshöchheim Garden (a castle near Wüzburg). Wearing a winged hat with sandals on his feet and caduceus in his hand, he looks poised as it to take flight.
Planet
"Mercury is the smallest and closest to the Sun of the eight planets in the Solar System,[a] with an orbital period of about 88 Earth days. Seen from the Earth, it appears to move around its orbit in about 116 days, which is much faster than any other planet. This rapid motion may have led to it being named after the Roman deity Mercury, the fast-flying messenger to the gods.
Mercury does not experience seasons in the same way as most other planets, such as the Earth. It is locked so it rotates in a way that is unique in the Solar System. As seen relative to the fixed stars, it rotates exactly three times for every two revolutions it makes around its orbit. As seen from the Sun, in a frame of reference that rotates with the orbital motion, it appears to rotate only once every two Mercurian years. An observer on Mercury would therefore see only one day every two years."
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